Alvernia President named to ACCU and AFCU Board of Directors

During its annual meeting in Washington, D.C., the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU) elected Alvernia President Thomas F. Flynn, Ph.D. to its Board of Directors. In addition, he has been appointed to the Board of Directors for the Association of Franciscan Colleges and Universities (AFCU). Both appointments are for three-year terms.

The Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities is the collective voice of Catholic higher education in the United States. Through seminars, conferences, publications, research and consultation, ACCU helps to foster a vibrant Catholic identity at member institutions and supports cooperation among them for the greater good of society and the Church. As one of four new ACCU members, Dr. Flynn will serve on the board through Feb. 2014.

Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider, C.M., Chair of the Board and President of DePaul University, commented, "Tom Flynn and our other new board appointees bring a wealth of knowledge about Catholic education to our board and I’m confident their contributions will strengthen our mission."

The Association of Franciscan Colleges and Universities (AFCU) supports member institutions in the mission of Catholic higher education as characterized by the Franciscan values of love/respect for one another and for all of creation. It provides a forum for dialogue about matters of importance to the members while fostering and facilitating appropriate and practical educational collaboration among the members.

Dr. Kevin M. Godfrey, executive director of the AFCU and associate professor of theology at Alvernia said that he and the other members of the AFCU Board of Directors are pleased and excited by Dr. Flynn’s commitment to the organization. “We know that Dr. Flynn’s broad range of expertise will enrich the work of the AFCU as we strive to support the future of Franciscan higher education,” he said.

"I am honored to join the national board for Catholic universities and to rejoin the board for Franciscan schools," said Flynn. "The 20th anniversary of Ex-Corde Ecclesiae makes this a special opportunity for these schools to provide both academic excellence and a values-based education for tomorrow's servant-leaders. Franciscan universities have a unique voice within Catholic higher education, and I look forward to working with fellow presidents to enhance the distinctive contributions of our institutions."

Dr. Flynn previously served on two other national boards, for the Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) and the American Council on Education (ACE) Board, which coordinates all of higher education, both public and private.